Nearly all finger rings employ a circular or substantially circular finger aperture having an interior diameter dictated by the size of the wearer's finger first joint knuckle. The ring must be large enough in diameter to slip past the knuckle. Since this interior diameter is larger than the width or depth of the shaft of the first row phalanx bone and flesh of the finger where rings are normally worn, the ring fits the finger loosely, thereby allowing the ring to freely turn about the finger and allowing the ring to inadvertently slip off over the knuckle. Further, the exterior diameter of a circular ring must be so great that the ring presses against the adjacent fingers, thereby causing a discomfort which is a common complaint of ring wearers.
Turning of rings about the finger is annoying since the gem or artwork carried by the ring fails to remain centered on the dorsal surface of the finger as is normally desired. The gem or artwork may rub against or injure adjacent fingers and may turn to appear on the palmar side of the hand where it may interfere with the wearer's grip, be damaged or cause damage to other objects.
The inherent looseness of circular finger rings may result in accidental loss by slipping over the wearer's knuckle during rapid hand movement or when the skin of the wearer's hand is cold, wet or lubricated with materials such as oil or soap. Valuable rings have been stolen from the hand of the wearer.
The contact of traditional circular finger rings with the adjacent fingers may be uncomfortable, especially when a particular ring is only infrequently worn, and when more frequently worn, the constant rubbing against adjacent fingers wears away the soft metal of the ring resulting in loss of decoration or weakening of gem settings.
A further disadvantage of the traditionally circular finger ring is caused by the gaps which result from nonconformance of the ring to the shape of that portion of the finger encircled by the ring. These gaps can cause the ring to catch on objects or in machinery.
Rings of non-circular biaxially symmetrical shapes are known, but have not achieved significant marketplace acceptance. Toelcke U.S. Pat. No. 1,913,463 shows a generally rectangular ring having a major axis dimension greater than the lateral dimension of the knuckle, whereby alignment of the major axis with the lateral dimension of the knuckle allows the ring to be slipped over the knuckle. The minor axis dimension of the ring is smaller than the knuckle. The ring can be turned after placement on the finger to prevent removal of the ring. When so turned, rectangular or oval biaxially symmetrical rings feel loose because of excessive clearance on the dorsal and palmar sides of the finger. Scott U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,181 discusses oval rings and discloses a ring of special shape which is said to lock on the finger with less looseness than provided by an oval ring. Gronat U.S. Pat. No. Des. 64,849 shows a ring which is a cross between a rectangle and an oval. A generally square ring is shown in Herzog U.S. Pat. No. 1,687,020 wherein it is asserted that such a shape fits more snuggly between the fingers and is less inclined to turn than circular rings.
The contoured ring of the present invention simultaneously avoids each of the above described disadvantages. The ring of the present invention locks on the finger proximally of the knuckle, is resistant to turning about the finger, avoids pressing against adjacent fingers and has little or no interior space not occupied by the wearer's finger. The result is a ring which is far more comfortable and safer to wear than traditional circular or other symmetrical shapes.
The aspect of the anatomy of a finger which is involved in the wearing of finger rings comprises the first and second phalanx bones, ligaments, tendons, flesh and the articular surfaces of these bones. Rings are normally worn encircling the shaft of the first phalanx. The proximal end of the second phalanx and the distal end of the first phalanx comprise the bone structure of the knuckle. The ends of the phalanges are enlarged to form the articular surfaces and constitute the prominence of the knuckle. The dorsal side of the first phalanx is convex and is tightly covered by skin with little compressive yield. The palmar side of the first phalanx has a yielding fleshy pad and flexion tendons more loosely covered by the skin. Thus, the portion of the finger where a ring is usually worn is an unyielding convex surface on the dorsal side and a fleshy pad on the palmar side. The greatest transverse dimension of the finger is the unyielding lateral or width dimension of the knuckle of the first and second phalanges. This dimension is greater than the dimensions of the shaft of the first phalanx and the flesh encircled by a ring.